Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37505706›Full record

ArticleToxins2023

A Sub-Acute Dosing Study of Saxitoxin and Tetrodotoxin Mixtures in Mice Suggests That the Current Paralytic Shellfish Toxin Regulatory Limit Is Fit for Purpose.

Sarah C Finch, Nicola G Webb, Michael J Boundy, D Tim Harwood, John S Munday, Jan M Sprosen, Chanatda Somchit, Ric B Broadhurst

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Toxins, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Sarah C FinchAgResearch Ltd., Ruakura Research Centre, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0003-2765-5843
Nicola G WebbAgResearch Ltd., Ruakura Research Centre, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0002-0967-6395
Michael J BoundyCawthron Institute, Private Bag 2, Nelson 7042, New Zealand.
D Tim HarwoodCawthron Institute, Private Bag 2, Nelson 7042, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0001-7222-5979
John S MundayDepartment of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0002-4769-5247
Jan M SprosenAgResearch Ltd., Ruakura Research Centre, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
Chanatda SomchitAgResearch Ltd., Ruakura Research Centre, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
Ric B BroadhurstAgResearch Ltd., Ruakura Research Centre, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
AgResearch · NZCawthron Institute · NZMassey University · NZ

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Paralytic shellfish poisoning is a worldwide problem induced by shellfish contaminated with paralytic shellfish toxins. To protect human health, a regulatory limit for these toxins in shellfish flesh has been adopted by many countries. In a recent study, mice were dosed with saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin mixtures daily for 28 days showing toxicity at low concentrations, which appeared to be at odds with other work. To further investigate this reported toxicity, we dosed groups of mice with saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin mixtures daily for 21 days. In contrast to the previous study, no effects on mouse bodyweight, food consumption, heart rate, blood pressure, grip strength, blood chemistry or hematology were observed. Furthermore, no histological findings were associated with dosing in this trial. The dose rates in this study were 2.6, 3.8 and 4.9 times greater, respectively, than the highest dose of the previous study. As rapid mortality in three out of five mice was observed in the previous study, the deaths are likely to be due to the methodology used rather than the shellfish toxins. To convert animal data to that used in a human risk assessment, a 100-fold safety factor is required. After applying this safety factor, the dose rates used in the current study were 3.5, 5.0 and 6.5 times greater, respectively, than the acute reference dose for each toxin type set by the European Union. Furthermore, it has previously been proposed that tetrodotoxin be included in the paralytic shellfish poisoning suite of toxins. If this were done, the highest dose rate used in this study would be 13 times the acute reference dose. This study suggests that the previous 28-day trial was flawed and that the current paralytic shellfish toxin regulatory limit is fit for purpose. An additional study, feeding mice a diet laced with the test compounds at higher concentrations than those of the current experiment, would be required to comment on whether the current paralytic shellfish toxin regulatory limit should be modified.

Indexed as

SaxitoxinShellfish PoisoningAnimalsHumansMiceSeafoodShellfishTetrodotoxinSaxitoxinTetrodotoxindosing protocolsfeeding studyparalytic shellfish toxinssaxitoxintetrodotoxintoxicology

Identifiers

PMID37505706
PMCPMC10467072
OpenAlexW4383104923

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.